Take a simple sourdough bread formula, which typically has 100% flour, 60%-100% water, around 1.8%-2.3% salt and some preferment percentage. The total weight of the dough is thus 100g wheat flour + 20g rye flour + 96g water + 2.4g salt = 218.4g of dough, while the total percentage of the dough has increased to 182% (100% flour + 80% water + 2% salt).Ī baker must follow this method for any and all additional ingredients – butter, sugar, oil, preferment, inclusions. The method is the same to add 2% salt: 0.02 x 120g (of the base flours) = 2.4g So, to make a wheat/rye 80% hydration loaf: 0.8 (80% water converted to a decimal) x 120 (total weight of combined flours in grams) = 96g of water is required.

To calculate the hydration percentage of a recipe, which results in a more open crumb, divide the total weight of the water by the total weight of the flour and multiply it by 100.įor example, a high hydration (80%) loaf comprises 100g of flour and 80ml of water = total percentage is 180%. The addition of other flour varieties – say 20g rye flour to 100g wheat flour, which makes a total flour weight of 120g – is still represented as 100%. Secondly, the weight of every other ingredient is a percentage of that flour weight, and thirdly, the two combined calculate the total percentage of the dough. There are three rules:įirstly, the total weight of the flour – be it 100g or 250g – always equals 100%. The cornerstone is based on the total weight of flour a formula contains, while the individual weight of each ingredient – water, salt, preferment or mother dough, inclusions – is a percentage of that total flour weight. It’s also the way bakers communicate with one another when sharing formulas.īaker’s math is essentially easy to understand, as long as weights and percentages are kept in mind. It’s particularly helpful for a craft baker wanting to adapt and scale up that recipe handed down the generations, to assess a formulation and spot any gross errors, and to determine what the baked result might be like. Packaging & Packing Materials, Containersīaker’s math is a system of calculating ingredient ratios that makes up any type of recipe, be it for a pillowy and slightly sweetened enriched bread or a classic baguette with its typical brittle crust.

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Bakers percentages sourdough calculator